I actually remembered our digital camera, so these pictures will be much better than the ones from Indy! Woo hoo!
1. In the foreground, Steve (left) and Brian (aka Synecdoche, right) open their Aberrations League product and start assembling warbands. Just beyond them Robert (aka Dagni, left) and Jason (aka Fenris, right) play a league game. Mark has his head down, studying his warband. Second from the end of the table, Rob (left) plays Mook (right). That's Ray (aka NinjaRay) wearing the Judge's shirt. (Thursday, December 2nd @ 12 pm.)
2. Mike (aka Derry) sits on the stage and explains how to use the warband registration form. Ian Richards (the chief Minis Organized Play dude from WotC) watches over him on the left. Kevin (aka mortslem) is on the right. (Thursday, December 2nd @ 12 pm.)
3. This is the Aberrations League redemption & reporting center. Joe sits on the left, managing the reporting and prize redemption. Ray (in the hat) holds a caffeinated beverage while talking to Kevin (in the orange shirt). Jason is the nearer of the two players in the match in the background. (Friday, December 3rd @ 9:30 am.)
4. Mike talks to Daphne, our fearless scorekeeper. (Friday, December 3rd @ 10 am.)
5. Players open their Aberrations starter and booster in preparation for Friday's Anaheim Mayhem event. On the left side of the table, from the nearest to the furthest is Mook, Timothy (aka Slade7170), Jason, and Robert. On the right side of the table, is Sergio, then Justin, and then Kevin. There are others in that row, but I cant make out their faces. Ray is the judge on the left. (Friday, December 3rd @ 10:30 am.)
6. Sergio (left) and Mook (right) square off in round one of Friday's Anaheim Mayhem sealed event. Mook carries his dice in a metal Altoids container. My little white kitchen timer can be seen at the end of the table. I lost that timer at the Con; you can be sure Alex (not pictured) will be happy about that. (Inside joke, sorry.) (Friday, December 3rd @ 10:45 am.)
7. Timothy (left) and Jason (right) square off in round one of Friday's Anaheim Mayhem sealed event. (Friday, December 3rd @ 10:45 am.)
8. Another shot of Sergio, Mook, and my lost kitchen timer. Note the ChapStick. It was frighteningly dry in the convention center. (Friday, December 3rd @ 10:45 am.)
9. Steve (left) and Samuel (right) square off in round one of Friday's Anaheim Mayhem sealed event. (Friday, December 3rd @ 10:45 am.)
10. Now we switch to Saturday. Players open their Aberrations starter and booster in preparation for Saturday's Anaheim Mayhem event. Nearest the camera are Julie (left) and Brad (right). I met them at last year's Gen Con So Cal during the Dragoneye Prerelease tournament. Just beyond Julie is RPGA guru Chris Tulach. Just beyond Brad is Alex, who made the final four at the 2004 Championships at Gen Con Indy. Rob Heinsoo (D&D Minis Lead Designer) stands to the right of the table. (Saturday, December 4th @ 10:30 am.)
11. Another shot of players preparing warbands for Saturday's Anaheim Mayhem event. (Saturday, December 4th @ 10:30 am.)
12. Yet another shot of players preparing warbands for Saturday's Anaheim Mayhem event. Mook, Bryan, and Tim can be seen constructing warbands. Kevin is the nearer ref, and Mike is the further one. (Saturday, December 4th @ 10:30 am.)
13. Yet another shot of players preparing warbands for Saturday's Anaheim Mayhem event. This is the same table as in picture 10, but from the opposite direction. On the left in the foreground is Peter, Robert's brother. On the right is Jason. Rob Heinsoo is eating some kind of snack in the aisle on the left, as Kevin patrols on the right. (Saturday, December 4th @ 10:30 am.)
14. Yet another shot of players preparing warbands for Saturday's Anaheim Mayhem event. In the background, you can see the Alex Weitz memorial clock. I heard a rumor this was donated to us by the fine folks at Upper Deck. (Saturday, December 4th @ 10:30 am.)
15. I hope you're not sick of Mayhem warband building yet, because this is another picture. (Saturday, December 4th @ 10:30 am.)
16. Robert. He wanted a picture for his avatar on Maxminis. Sorry, Robert, the flash was a little bright on this one. Don't blame the camera. Blame the photographer... (Saturday, December 4th @ 10:30 am.)
17. First round action from Saturday's Mayhem event. Jim (left) plays Chad (right). Beyond them, Thomas (left) plays Daniel (right). Beyond them, Julie (left) plays Brad (right). (Saturday, December 4th @ 11 am.)
18. More first round action from Saturday's Mayhem event. Tim (left) plays Chris Tulach (right). Beyond them, Keith looks on because his opponent walked away after getting the sealed product. His would-be opponent used the name "Errol Drow" to sign up. We should have known that was bogus. Beyond that, Alex (left) plays Jason (right). (Saturday, December 4th @ 11 am.)
19. More first round action from Saturday's Mayhem event. Al (left) plays Frank (right). Beyond them, Mike leans in to help some of the other players; it looks like he is fixing illegal terrain placement. (Saturday, December 4th @ 11 am.)
20. More first round action from Saturday's Mayhem event. Same as the previous shot, but now you can see the players at the second table better. Josh is on the left, and Ben is on the right. (Saturday, December 4th @ 11 am.)
21. Second round action from Saturday's Mayhem event. Robert (left) plays Scott (right). Beyond them, Jim (left) plays John (right). The third game is Mook (left) vs. Rowan (right). (Saturday, December 4th @ 12 pm.)
22. More second round action from Saturday's Mayhem event. Thomas (left) and Josh (right) discuss events from their first round matchups. Beyond them, Brian (left) and Al (right) set up. (Saturday, December 4th @ 12 pm.)
23. More second round action from Saturday's Mayhem event. Jason (left) plays Peter (right). Beyond them, Kat (left) plays Larry (right). (Saturday, December 4th @ 12 pm.)
24. Lots of event staff. Joe and Daphne sit on the stage. Cullen (left, front) and Ian talk to Stacy Longstreet (WotC RPG & Miniatures senior art director) and her husband. (Saturday, December 4th @ 12 pm.)
25. Joe shows off his d20 spinning skills. Hey, league play was slow during the Mayhem tournament and you have to keep busy somehow! (Saturday, December 4th @ 12 pm.)
26. Daphne keeping busy while play was going on. There isn't much for her to do when a new round starts. In the bottom left corner, you can see a reasonable shot of the Mayhem trophies. The Beholder is for first place, the Chuul is for second, and the two Ice Trolls are for the other two finalists. (Saturday, December 4th @ 12 pm.)
27. True gamer nutrition. One box of Aberrations and some garnish is all you need during the Con. (Saturday, December 4th @ 12:15 pm.)
28. From left to right: Stormtrooper officer, Ian, Scout Trooper, Stormtrooper. Trooper + Star Wars Minis booster = free advertising! (Saturday, December 4th @ 12:15 pm.)
29. This is a shot from round three or four of the Star Wars Minis Clone Strike release tournament. David is on the right and Rob is on the left. (Saturday, December 4th @ 5 pm.)
30. Another shot from round three or four of the Star Wars Minis Clone Strike release tournament. Again, I'm forgetting names! Ack! (Saturday, December 4th @ 5 pm.)
31. A shot of a whole bunch of people playing in the Star Wars Minis Clone Strike release tournament. MaplessManiac620 is the frontmost player on the right, in the leather jacket. Ray is third player in on the left side wearing the backwards hat. (Saturday, December 4th @ 5 pm.)
32. The spillover table of people playing in the Star Wars Minis Clone Strike release tournament. (Saturday, December 4th @ 5 pm.)
33. Back to D&D Minis. The unofficial consolation round of Saturday's Anaheim Mayhem event. Both of these players made the draft finals, but they were both eliminated in the first round of the finals. Brian (left) and Rowan (right) go head-to-head with the minis that they drafted about two hours prior to this picture. (Saturday, December 4th @ 7:15 pm.)
34. The final round of Saturday's Anaheim Mayhem event. Ian (left) watches Alex (center) play Timothy (right) for 1st place and the coveted Beholder trophy. (Saturday, December 4th @ 7:15 pm.)
35. Trophy presentation for Saturady's Anaheim Mayhem event. Mary Elizabeth Allen (she runs the D&D Miniatures brand) presents the trophies. You can see the backs of Mook (left) and Rowan (right). (Saturday, December 4th @ 7:45 pm.)
36. Rowan holding his prizes and third place trophy for Saturday's Anaheim Mayhem event. He got three boosters and a custom repainted Ice Troll mini. (Saturday, December 4th @ 7:45 pm.)
37. Brian proudly displaying his prizes and third place trophy for Saturday's Anaheim Mayhem event. Like Rowan, he got three boosters and a custom repainted Ice Troll mini. In the background, Mike wears the judges shirt, Ray applauds, and Rob Heinsoo grins with crossed arms. (Saturday, December 4th @ 7:45 pm.)
38. Alex showing off his prizes and second place trophy for Saturday's Anaheim Mayhem event. He got a bunch of boosters and a custom repainted Chuul mini. (Saturday, December 4th @ 7:45 pm.)
39. Timothy showing off his prizes and first place trophy for Saturday's Anaheim Mayhem event. He got a case of Aberrations boosters, three Clone Strike boosters, and a custom repainted Beholder mini from the upcoming set (Death Knell). Mook, Mike, and Steve are visible in the background. (Saturday, December 4th @ 7:45 pm.)
40. Another shot of the League play redemption desk. At this point, we have both D&D Minis and Star Wars Minis league play going on. Michelle (left) and Daphne (bottom left) give Sheridan (plaid shirt) and Mook (white shirt) their prizes. Ian observes the result. (Saturday, December 4th @ 8:30 pm.)
41. The RPGA area. I wandered over to see some other folks, and I caught a glimpse of two Robs, a Rich, and a few other people playing an Eberron adventure. Rob Heinsoo is the second player from the left. Rob's friend Rich faces us and rests his head in his hand. Skaff Elias (one of the authors of the Miniatures Handbook) is to Rob's right. Rob Watkins (lead designer for Star Wars Minis) has the shaved head and wears the black shirt. (Sunday, December 5th @ 9 am.)
42. The end-game of Robert and Jason's third round matchup in Sunday's 200 point Constructed Assault event. Orcses and Driders and Dragons! Oh my! (Sunday, December 5th @ 2:30 pm.)
43. The end-game of Robert and Jason's third round matchup in Sunday's 200 point Constructed Assault event. Same shot, different direction. (Sunday, December 5th @ 2:30 pm.)
44. Tel (left) and Steve (right) staffing the RPGA booth. They are two of the very cool people I worked the minis booth with at Gen Con Indy 2004. (Sunday, December 5th @ 3:30 pm.)
45. The fourth round matchups for Sunday's 200 point Constructed Assault event. From nearest to furthest: Derry (left) plays Robert (right), Dwayne (left) plays Jason (right), and Brian (left) plays Darien (right). (Sunday, December 5th @ 3:30 pm.)
46. The convention is just about over. Lots of people talking. (Sunday, December 5th @ 4:45 pm.)
47. More post-convention discussion. (Sunday, December 5th @ 4:45 pm.)
48. A close-up of the first place trophies for each of Friday's and Saturday's Anaheim Mayhem events. (Sunday, December 5th @ 5 pm.)
49. Another close-up of the trophies. (Sunday, December 5th @ 5 pm.)
50. A more distant shot of the trophies that I took just in case the first two didn't turn out right. (Sunday, December 5th @ 5 pm.)
51. Rob Heinsoo. (Photo courtesy of Mike Derry.)
52. Who's that goofy looking guy? Oh! That's me! (Photo courtesy of Mike Derry.)
53. Ian. (Photo courtesy of Mike Derry.)
54. Daphne. (Photo courtesy of Mike Derry.)